During a surgical procedure it may be necessary to maintain a patient in a particular orientation. However, since the patient is typically unconscious, the patient cannot assist. Further still, even if the patient is conscious, the patient may not be able to maintain the proper positioning during a procedure.
The proper positioning of a patient becomes even more important in procedures such as laparoscopic surgery or robotic surgery. During such procedures is important to maintain the patient in a particular orientation and position. Unfortunately, according to standard operating procedures, the patient is restrained to the table or bed by taping the patient down. The tape is normally wrapped around the patient at several locations to ensure that the patient does not move during the procedure. However, if the surgeon decides that the patient needs to be moved, the patient much be untapped, re-positioned and then re-taped. All of this is cumbersome and time consuming.
A further problem with the existing procedure is that the tape residue on the table or bed readily attracts dirt and contaminants. Additionally, the tape used to hold the patient in place can leave a rash or skin irritation for the patient that can cause additional discomfort to the patient after the surgical procedure.
Although the use of tape has numerous disadvantages, it does have the advantage of being readily disposable to avoid cross-contamination between patients. Additionally, since the tape is on a roll, the amount of tape can be easily varied to accommodate patients of different size.